tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post2374625046736483766..comments2015-03-03T13:33:58.077-08:00Comments on TOM CLARK: Samuel Beckett: Saint-LôZephirinenoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-64178936990955238172015-01-26T13:14:07.838-08:002015-01-26T13:14:07.838-08:00I pray to God almighty that those pilots and crew ...I pray to God almighty that those pilots and crew are forever in Hell.Kevin Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02439203914661595614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-89079605967776062352013-10-18T05:16:03.686-07:002013-10-18T05:16:03.686-07:00Reflecting upon these thoughtful comments, in ligh...Reflecting upon these thoughtful comments, in light of the recent and probable future further downhill course of world (human) history, all one can say is that it seems likely that for many families there may well be many distressing nights ahead.TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05915822857461178942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-55136392442177093372013-10-16T13:36:59.389-07:002013-10-16T13:36:59.389-07:00A few days back, Ed mentioned Fallujah and the inv...A few days back, Ed mentioned Fallujah and the invasion of Iraq as a contemporary example of mass killing. We employed the newest technology of death in the wars in Iraq. We learned how to kill and main not simply in the present tense, but well into the future—using so-called DU (depleted uranium) munitions that, by poisoning the landscape, continue to cause miscarriages and horrific birth defects in newborn children years after the battle of Fallujah and elsewhere, maybe for generations to come. This is a war crime, among the many war crimes committed by US forces. Soldiers who used and were exposed to these munitions suffered radiation poisoning, and in turn have poisoned their wives and lovers when they returned home to the US. The issue has been shunted aside in the news media.Hazenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417573435195561519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-77316980834919859702013-10-16T10:14:22.939-07:002013-10-16T10:14:22.939-07:00This post coupled with the last: from natural to m...This post coupled with the last: from natural to moral evil as the theologians call it.<br /><br />Beckett knew a fair bit about the war himself, living a fugitive existence following the betrayal of his resistance cell. All traces of easy illusion expunged here.Wooden Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01100756913131511440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-27775780581783864872013-10-16T08:25:16.470-07:002013-10-16T08:25:16.470-07:00From Wikipedia: &quot;Much of the bombing from the...From Wikipedia: &quot;Much of the bombing from the first wave of aircraft fell across the town of Vire killing many of the inhabitants. It was a distressing night for many families.&quot;<br /><br />Wikipedia has a talent for understatement.Norahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439557611640319928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-47829787602496048542013-10-16T06:13:47.221-07:002013-10-16T06:13:47.221-07:00“When we got there, there was nothing at all. The ...“When we got there, there was nothing at all. The whole of Saint-Lô was blotted out.” Yet, once the killing was all done, it was called The Good War (though certainly not by those who died by the tens of millions in Europe and Asia, civilians caught up in the fury), as if wars could be ranked like bars of soap or breakfast cereals, on some twisted scale of satisfaction delivered. People deceive themselves so that they can deceive others.Hazenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13417573435195561519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4445844569294316288.post-754133797926942862013-10-16T05:09:38.865-07:002013-10-16T05:09:38.865-07:00A historical parallel might be drawn between what ...A historical parallel might be drawn between what happened at Saint-Lô in July 1944 and what happened at Ben Tre, Viet Nam, during the Tet offensive of 1968.<br /><br /><br />&quot;...the fighting in Ben Tre went badly for the Americans. House-to-house all the way. The VC were so well dug in and barricaded that progress got stalled. So, in desperation, artillery and air strikes were called in on the town. Much of the town was heavily damaged in the resulting melee, but the town was retaken. <br /><br />&quot;...Anyway, at one point the journalists were pressing Major Booris to explain why it had been necessary to wipe out the town. They were definitely pressing the point that perhaps too much force had been applied by the US forces. Major Booris was trying his best to put a good face on the situation. But at one point he got flustered, and blurted out, &#39;We had to destroy Ben Tre in order to save it.&#39; I have to admit that I almost laughed when he said that. It was a really unfortunate comment.&quot;<br /><br /><br />-- from &quot;About the famous quote of the Vietnamese 1968 Tet Offensive: &#39;We Had to Destroy Ben Tre In Order To Save It&#39;: Michael D. Miller, Former Captain, US Army Corps of Engineers, 46th Engineer Battalion, 159th Engineer Group, Commander, Task Force Builder, 1968 (25 October 2006)TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05915822857461178942noreply@blogger.com